By Grisha Vera*
“…There is no such thing as a ‘natural’ disaster. Disaster is what happens because society allows it to happen…,” wrote American journalist who specializes in the region, June Carolyn Erlick, in her book Desastres naturales en America Latina.
Recent wildfires in Valparaiso, in central Chile, killed 131 people and left thousands of families homeless. Several authorities, including President Gabriel Boric, denounced that these were human-caused. “Let them know, whomever is lighting a fire and unleashing this tragedy, we will come after you with the full extent of the law and with the condemnation of society as a whole. What you have caused is incommensurable”, Boric stated from Viña del Mar following the disaster. That day, he reported having made a request to the European Union for an open investigation about the Emergency Alert System.
Arrests were made, but the Attorney General’s Office couldn’t press charges due to lack of evidence. Denunciations of alleged new pyromaniacs were also made by citizens, but the Police couldn’t find them. And disinformation spread around quickly, for instance a report of seven Venezuelans lighting fires in another area, but this information was fake.
Even though Chilean authorities’ speech addresses one of the multiple causes of wildfires, it evades others, such as its own responsibilities, which are critical to prevent the impact of disasters such as the one that took place in February 2024. Beyond significant material losses, it has brought upon a major human tragedy.
Chile, as well as at least eight other South American countries, is affected by thousands of wildfires each year, and it needs preparation to prevent and deal with these events (bound to occur more frequently and with greater magnitude due to climate change). In October 2023, for instance, in two of the most important locations in Bolivia, La Paz and Santa Cruz, the poor air quality resulting from wildfires compelled the government to suspend classes in schools. In that country, wildfires are not unexpected either. In 2019, for example, when the flames were ravaging territories, several groups condemned the government’s late reaction and the connection between agricultural policies with what was taking place.
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These natural events, increasingly anticipated, show the faults of institutions and societies, as Erlick concludes in her book. Weeks prior to the tragedy in Valparaíso, flames also affected the Colombian capital city, as well as other departments of the country. The emergency revealed budget cuts to fire departments, and a member of the Bogota City Council divulged reductions to resources of other key institutions that prevent and deal with natural disasters – in this particular moment where more and more of these events can be expected. Amidst the crisis, the national director of the fire department was laid off, allegedly, for having denounced shortage in resources.
The Argentinean Patagonia has also been burning since the beginning of the year. According to a report by Amnesty International, more than half a million hectares were burned in 2022 alone. “It is essential for the Argentinean State to make progress fulfilling its international commitments in terms of environmental protection and human rights,” the document concludes.
Prevention
Boric’s government is right, in part, since most wildfires in Chile are human-caused. There might also be deliberateness, but there’s more than that.
Ariel Muñoz, PhD in forestry and professor at Pontificia Universidad de Valparaiso, explains that the country’s economic-driven forest policies have a lot to do. Firstly, because they have created more inflammable landscapes, and secondly, because some people light fires to change the land use.
And there are natural reasons too. Eduardo Peña, PhD and expert in fire ecology, comments that vegetation can burn, even native forests, as it’s currently happening in Argentina. He explains that three elements must converge for a fire to burn: combustible (dry vegetation), oxygen and a source of heat (human-caused, mostly, but also as a consequence of sun rays). Therefore, “wildfires happen intensely when the 30-30-30 condition is met,” in other words: when temperatures are above 30 °C, relative humidity of the environment is below 30%, and wind speed is higher than 30 kilometers per hour. Experts warn that these conditions are happening more frequently as a result of climate change.
“For a while, we have had a lot of information about these risks. It’s been many years and prior governments, not just this one, have had detailed information pertaining to the risk of wildfires, but real change in these landscape structures and in the coordination surrounding the threat is yet to come,” Muñoz explains to CONNECTAS.
Experts agree that wildfires in Chile and in the rest of the region have similar causes. It was stated in the document drafted after the 33rd session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (LACFC), entitled Nuestros bosques se estan quemando: “Integrated Fire Management entails a holistic approach of ecological, socioeconomic and technical aspects to achieve resilient and sustainable landscapes and human means of living. The way in which humanity deals with fire requires a radical change. Focusing on wildfire prevention is the right path, one that often implies the participation of the community as a key and active element throughout the process.”
Peña says firebreaks are fundamental for prevention. And he gives an example: “In 2009 in Australia, a great wildfire caused the death of 174 people. Afterwards, the country reflected that fires can’t be contained when there is combustible material. So, they passed a law to make firebreaks mandatory in properties.”
The ecologist adds that maintenance of homes and cities may also lessen the impact and propagation of flames. “A villa in Valparaiso, called Botania, didn’t burn down, and it was because it had a clear perimeter.” He says that for American experts, firebreaks are not enough if cities and houses are not clear of dry vegetation. “If cities are not clear, the burning material that is flying away will eventually get there and start a fire, even if it’s two kilometers away.”
Los árboles de Hiroshima, símbolo de duelo y esperanza tras los trágicos incendios en Chile
El fuego que castigó durante días la Región de Valparaíso logró ser extinguido. Los incendios más mortíferos que recuerde #Chile se cobraron la vida de 131 personas y destruyeron… pic.twitter.com/FkmCJpMzKN
— DW Español (@dw_espanol) February 8, 2024
Experts agree that unplanned urban expansion constitutes another risk factor. “In many countries, cities start expanding without following a planned system in terms of place, type of material, design and resources. So, in the case of Valparaiso, many of these lands were occupied and constructions were built using wood and cardboard. Hence, once the fire starts, it is practically impossible to extinguish, additionally, roads and streets in that area are very narrow. So we saw pictures of people driving away in a car and getting stuck. It is a problem typical of underdeveloped countries, we can’t provide better living conditions for a lot of people.”
Muñoz adds that generating less and less inflammable landscapes helps mitigate the impact of wildfires. And he asserts that it is also necessary to “change regulatory aspects that allow modifying the use of land of incinerated terrains, since it leads up to speculation and it can be an incentive for some activities or economic groups.”
Both experts note that education is essential to reduce the likelihood of wildfires and its impact.
Adaptation
The 2017 wildfires in Chile forced the world into creating an additional indicator in the scale to measure fire intensity and propagation: the sixth generation. By 2020, according to a report by WWF Spain, an international organization dedicated to the defense of nature and the environment, sixth generation wildfires were the “new normal.”
“When there is a single fire, the strategy is to get to it as soon as possible. In the case of Chile, we decided that we need to get there in the first ten minutes, because then the wildfire will still be small. What is the problem? That now we have a lot of wildfires and resources are not enough to get to it in time to fight it. Some are left unattended, and if the wind is favorable and the topography is steep, propagation will happen faster. When wildfires grow, they are hard to control,” Peña explains.
Moreover, he says that the number of hours needed to fight fires is increasing each season, which proves that climate change is having an effect. “So, if we used to think we needed to arrive within the first ten minutes, probably now we would have to get there in six minutes.”
For Muñoz, planting native vegetation as part of a new forest planning in central Chile, would result in less inflammable landscapes, would also help with heat waves, with better water regulations and other services of these ecosystems, which would be very useful for people’s adaptation and quality of life. “New funds available since the last Conference of the Parties (COP) would alleviate it, but international aid associated with climate change is not very tangible for countries.”
The effects of climate change are being progressively felt each day, and its effects, as in Chile, bring upon environmental, economic and social tragedies. Many of which can be prevented, or at least its impact could be reduced. Although it is up to everyone, governments must surely take the first step to shift their often reactive attitude, for a preventive one.
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* Member of the editorial board at CONNECTAS